Thanks for coming in. Do you think our new arrivals take Australian citizenship
for granted?

TREASURER:

Well, I think we ought to be very clear what we expect from Australian citizens,
we are a wonderful country, we have got people coming here from all over the
world and we can absorb people from all over the world as long as we have agreement
on certain rules. Rules like loyalty to our country, respect for democracy,
respect for the rights and liberty of others and respect for the laws. And if
we all observe those rules then everybody can have their freedoms respected
but if there are people that don’t accept those rules, their refusal to
accept those rules could compromise the rights and liberties of other people,
that is my point.

ROWE:

You have said that some second-generation Australians might have some problems
embracing Australian values, are you specifically targeting Muslim youth there?

TREASURER:

Well, any second generation. If we had…

ROWE:

But are you targeting Muslim youths?

TREASURER:

…no, no, any second generation. If we have a situation where they lost
contact with the values of their parents but don’t embrace the values
of Australia you enter a kind of a twilight zone.

ROWE:

But those allegations have been made about young Muslim people in Australia.

TREASURER:

Well, I would apply it to anybody – Muslim, non-Muslim – anybody
who enters that twilight zone that doesn’t have values that they can fall
back on and rely on. That is a problem. And I want to say that we have to explain
Australian values to that generation and ask them to accept them. It is not
enough just to explain them, we want people to observe them and these values
of tolerance for other people, to respect the rights and liberties of other
people and that means obeying by the laws.

ROWE:

So who is not doing that then?

TREASURER:

Well, I think that we have got to a stage where we have allowed Australian
citizenship to become un-demanding.

ROWE:

Give me an example of some one abusing Australia’s…?

TREASURER:

I talked in my speech last night about citizenship ceremonies where new arrivals
are told, you don’t have to give up anything, you don’t have to
give up love of other countries, we don’t ask anything of you, we will
confer Australian citizenship on you. And I say, no, that is not right actually.
Australian citizenship is a great privilege and to take it out we do demand
things. We demand the love of this country and a loyalty to it. We demand a
respect for its values and I think by emphasising the obligations of citizenship,
making it a more demanding thing then we will develop more respect for it.

ROWE:

In your speech you did mention, you compared it to well, when people enter
a Mosque they are expected to remove their shoes so then people should be expected
to respect Australian values. Aren’t you really pointing then the finger
at Muslim Australians?

TREASURER:

Well, I made the point last night, if you want to go into a Mosque, you will
be asked to take your shoes off as a respect for the mosque and if you don’t
want to take your shoes off don’t go into a Mosque. If you want to come
into Australia you will be asked to show respect for its values. If you don’t
have respect for those values, don’t ask to come into Australia. And this
is what we ask of people. We have to preserve a way of life which makes us the
greatest country in the world.

ROWE:

Islamic leaders say that your statements are inflammatory and that they are
just reinforcing incorrect stereotypes.

TREASURER:

Well, I would actually hope that Islamic leaders would endorse these statements
and say, yes, we too have respect for Australian values, the values of tolerance,
respect for the rights and liberties of others, loyalty to Australia. And I
would ask them to reinforce as leaders with their community just as I would
ask other community leaders to reinforce with their own communities those values.
This is the way we preserve Australia and make it what it is.

ROWE:

Moving now onto ten years of Howard leadership, what do you think the highlight
has been?

TREASURER:

I think over the last ten years the way in which the economy has grown and
people have been able to get jobs, look after their mortgages and raise their
families in security, I think as we look back this will be the great achievement
of the last ten years.

ROWE:

So would you like ten years in the top job?

TREASURER:

Well, would you like ten years on the Today Show.

ROWE:

Of course, but would you like ten years in the top job?

TREASURER:

Well, we will see how things develop.

ROWE:

No seriously, are you, would you like to be the next Prime Minister?

TREASURER:

Well, I have been the Treasurer for ten years, I have made the greatest contribution
that I can and I will continue making that contribution while I can and if opportunities
come down the way we will look at those as they arise.